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Along the Natchez Trace

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Quiet Saturday Night

I think the high was 27 degrees today. I don't know why I pulled on my big ole boots today... I didn't even go outside, except to go out a couple of times to fill the bird feeders..... and later this evening we walked about 200 steps ... probably less.... over to our daughter's house to check in... say hello.... see how they're doing and tell them we're still doing okay. It was slick walking.... just like walking on ice. Well... that's EXACTLY what it was!

So what if I have on 2 wool sweaters.... and wool socks... and jeans... and for a while had on a fleece vest as well? And all that's while I'm inside.... I need even more when I go out.

In yesterday's blog I mentioned my "juvenile" mourning doves. Truth is, I really questioned what the heck these guys were, but they just didn't fit either the Inca nor the Mourning dove. I am fortunate that I have a couple (I think more) expert birders who take the time to read my blog. They set me straight on the real identity of these guys. (Wonder if it helped that they are both native Texans?)

A Pair of Inca Doves(kind of blurry... taken from a window)

Maybe we all need to take a lesson from these guys...

Stick together.... stay close.... huddle up....

It's COLD here... But these guys know how to stay warm!

Yeah... stay close to the one you love.... and you know... it doesn't even matter what the temperature outside is... it sure makes life a lot better!

After my last mistaken bird, I'll try again with this guy...

A Fox Sparrow?

He's a lot bigger than the little chipping sparrows here.... but why the heck is he by himself? The only one that I've seen here. If I'm lucky, someone will tell me who he is....

We hear the blue jays all the time, but until the weather got icy and snowy, they turned up their noses (beaks?) at our feeders. But it's not pretty out there (Wrong! it IS pretty, just treacherous!) but the blue jays are visiting us now. I know... they can be bullies.... but... darn! aren't they pretty?

And speaking of bullies....

I'm still working on whether these guys are crows or ravens. I tend to think they're crows. Did you know that a whole bunch of crows is called a "murder of crows"? Yeah... it sure is..... I read a lot of mysteries... I know these things ;-)

You know what? The mailman hasn't been around since Thursday. Whatever happened to "Neither rain, nor snow, nor....."????

Sure doesn't apply to the USPS these days....

Maybe they just figure everyone does e-mail and Facebook and all that stuff.... but still.....

However... Saturday night....

Prairie Home Companion is on the radio...

You can count on Garrison to hang out in your home on Saturday evening... while you knit... or read... or have dinner.....

14 comments:

I liked seeing your birds. I'm not sure on the identities either. I don't believe I have ever seen a Fox Sparrow. I think the black one might be a Crow. And of course, I do recognize the Blue Jay. We've had a few hanging around as well. It's 28 below zero here this morning. Brrrrr!! But we're looking on the bright side: It was down to -33 when we went to bed last night. lol

It is ironic isn't it--we have below zero temps and a foot of snow--our mailman comes and both the UPS and FedEx guys have been to our house every day. But ice is a different matter--I've lived in Arkansas and Texas--it's nasty stuff!

I'm in the midst of a bird revolt here. Since the feeders went up we've been inundated. But I didn't want to thread through the Christmas traffic to the expensive bird seed store in the next town, so I researched some kinds on the internet, found a decent one supposedly carried by ACE, and went to my lovely ACE hardware store, just up a couple of country roads. They only had ACE brand, so I came home with a bag. Now the pail is full to the top with it, as are the two big feeders, and NO BIRDS! Well, the flying pigs on the finch feeder. This afternoon all the ACE stuff will go into the woods for the deer and my grandson and I will shoulder his way through traffic to get the preferred brand. The little brats.

I learned that if the tail is straight across, it's a crow. If it's rounded, it's a raven.We've haven't gotten above 30 for the last 2 days. I poured hot water on the RV steps so we could get in and out, they were frozen and slick!Terimarkteri.blogspot.com

About Me

I am Sharon Wallace, my husband is Bill Wethington. In January, 2001 we took possession of our 27' Lazy Daze Class C motor home and began our adventures as full-time RVers. Our first trip out was to volunteer with Alaska State Parks on the Kenai. Since then we have traveled in the lower 48, several Canadian Provinces, and spent several winters in various States of Mexico. We often volunteer at National Refuges throughout the USA. Our interests are varied: Bill has been doing genealogy research for about 25 years; we started geocaching in 2005; we are avid, but amateur birders; I enjoy photography..... the list goes on and on.
As you can see, the title of my blog can mean several different things... take it the way you want ;-)